Swordsei
Swordsei The Swordsei is a man who dedicates himself to a single purpose throughout his life; to become a master of the sword that he possesses a deep bond with. The devotion he pours into studying the sword is intensive and he forsakes the use of other weapons almost completely; while he can pick up and use other weapons he will be no more proficient than any fighter picking up a weapon. Peculiarly the Swordsei is also no better with any weapon he picks up that is not considered his bonded weapon, and he can not perform the same feats of mastery without his Sword. In Aurander their order is known for their white leather and tan accessories. Making a Swordsei The Swordsei abilities are focused in speed, strength and reflexes boardering on the supernatural to produce the effects he learns through his years of practice and travel. Because the Swordsei relies on speed they normally forsake the use of medium and heavy armor as these types deny him access to many advantages that his specialized training provides. A Swordsei in combat is terrible to behold, all of his training enables him to finish an opponent in the most expedient way possible. Abilities: Strength, Dexterity and Constitution are all equally important to the Swordsei for combat purposes. However these are not the only abilities the Swordsei needs, as both Wisdom and Intelligence help him. Wisdom adds to the Swordseis' AC and Intelligence helps a Swordsei with skills. Even Charisma can be considered important for a Swordsei as they are expected to have outstanding manners and etiquette when not using their martial skills. Races: Anyone that has received formal martial training has potential to be a Swordsei but few are willing to devout themselves so completely to the blade. A Swordsei from any race becomes a paragon of law, rigid adherence to their codes and devotion to the sword of choice are requirements in order to maintain their abilities. Alignment: Swordsei can be of any Lawful alignment. Starting Gold: 2d4 x 10 + 1 Masterwork sword. Starting Age: Moderate. Class Features All of the following are class features of the Swordsei. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Swordsei is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. In addition to the martial weapons he automatically receives any exotic weapon proficiency that applies to his chosen weapon, if his chosen weapon is exotic. He is proficient with light armor, but is not proficient with any kind of shield. The Swordsei may add his Wisdom modifier to his AC, in addition to his Dexteritymodifier, as long as he is wearing light armor. Swordsei's Blessing (Ex): At 1st level the Swordsei gains a masterwork weapon - his personal weapon. As long as the Swordsei possesses and uses this weapon he has access to all other Swordsei powers, without it all other powers are lost to him. In the event of the weapon being stolen or destroyed the Swordsei must spend one month to atune a new weapon of the same type to himself. Often a Swordsei will find it easier to recover a lost blade then to bind a new one to themselves. Spiritual Bond (Su): At 1st level the Swordsei forms a strong bond with his personal weapon; from this point forward whenever the Swordsei weilds his weapon it counts as a magical weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. As the Swordsei increases in level the abilities of the blade increase as well; starting at 4th level his personal weapon is treated as having a magical enhancement bonus equal to 1/4th of his Swordsei level rounded down to a minimum of one. Weapon Focus (Ex): At 1st level the Swordsei gains the bonus feat weapon focus. This feat only applies to his personal weapon and does not extend to any other weapon (including weapons of the same type) that the Swordsei weilds. Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a Swordsei can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successfulReflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the Swordsei is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless Swordsei does not gain the benefit of evasion. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a Swordsei can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. Weapon Specialization (Ex): At 4th level the Swordsei gains the bonus feat weapon specialization. This feat only applies to his personal weapon and does not extend to any other weapon (including weapons of the same type) that the Swordsei weilds. Spiritual Enhancement (Su): At 5th level the Swordsei's weapon is furthered strengthened as his soul and the weapons soul inter-mix. Whenever the Swordsei weilds his personal weapon he receives an enhancement modifier equal to 1/5th of his level rounded down to a minimum of one. This enhancement modifier can be assigned through eight hours of meditation to apply any modifier, however the modifiers magic enhancement bonus can never exceed the number presented by Spiritual Enhancement. (Example: If the Swordsei is level 10 with a +2 enhancement bonus he may have two +1 or one +2 enhancement active.) This bonus can be reassigned if the Swordsei spends 24 hours in meditation with the weapon. Flash Step (Su): At 8th level the Swordsei is capable of moving with blinding speed, covering great distances in a short amount of time. This is treated as the spell Dimension Door, with the restriction that it is limited to line of sight to his destination and it counts as a swift action. The Swordsei may use this supernatural ability once per day, and an additional use every 4 levels. Improved Critical (Ex): At 8th level the Swordsei gains the bonus feat improved critical. This feat only applies to his personal weapon and does not extend to any other weapon (including weapons of the same type) that the Swordsei weilds. Greater Weapon Focus (Ex): At 12th level the Swordsei gains the bonus feat greater weapon focus. This feat only applies to his personal weapon and does not extend to any other weapon (including weapons of the same type) that the Swordsei weilds. Greater Weapon Specialization (Ex): At 16th level the Swordsei gains the bonus feat greater weapon specialization. This feat only applies to his personal weapon and does not extend to any other weapon (including weapons of the same type) that the Swordsei weilds. Playing a Swordsei Religion: Swordsei are very spiritual and have great bonds with their weapons however this does not preclude the worship of a deity if he or she chooses. Any god or goddess that emphasises skill would be considered appropriate for their devotions if they choose a deity after coming into their sword abilities. Other Classes: A Swordsei is most likely to get along and interact with fighters within a group as the fighter is a generalized fighter, while the kensai is specific. Swordseis also will get along with other classes that see their skills as something to hone and enhance, as they continually strive for perfection with their weapon abilities. Swordseis will find they have the least in common with individuals that do not put effort into their actions such as sorcerers and barbarians. Combat: In combat a Swordsei has one objective; get into range and start hammering away on the enemy. If he is melee oriented he will attempt to close and start dealing as much damage as possible taking out opponents one at a time. Ranged Swordsei students will tend to advance to the closest range where they no longer suffer penalties then start raining death onto their enemies. Advancement: The Swordsei with effort can meet most prerequisites for the majority of fighter prestige classes. The Kensai prestige class in complete warrior is also a very viable option (though a lot of the abilities are similar and do not stack, in essence it would null features of this class.) Swordsei in the World Swordsei are not common as few individuals possess the willingness to devote themselves fully to a cause; even less are willing to devote themselves fully to a weapon. However even though they are uncommon they can still be found moving from place to place in search of new opportunities to hone their skills. Swordsei will rarely abandon any pursuit that even hints at being able to teach them new abilities for their weapons. Daily Life: Meditation, practice and taking care of their equipment are primary concerns for the Swordsei. The desire to be centered is important for the Swordsei since anger makes a man careless and calm prevents a man from acting when required. Daily practice with his Sword is expected from every Swordsei as it keeps his skills honed. Care is essential as the other daily practices, as equipment can fail if neglected too long. If a Swordsei fails to care for his weapon (about 5 minutes) he will find that it loses the properties until proper care and a short purification ceremony are performed (cermony takes 1 hour.) Notables: Laviat, Female Human Swordsei, Knight in the Order of Chodon Myron Grasmon, Human Swordsei, Wandering swordsman Kross, Half Orc Swordsei Organizations: While Swordsei won't normally create an organization they will join standing organizations on occasion based upon their goals. It is just as likely that they won't join an organization simply because other groups are normally no where near as focused as the Swordseis' approach to learning. NPC Reactions: Most Adventurers are able to secure for themselves at least a modest income and some renown for their various deeds. NPCs are likely to react based upon hearsay of his exploits rather than through direct interaction. While this can be very beneficial in certain settings (the town is greatful you slew the giants) it can be detrimental in others (those bandits are certain you have money since you killed the giants.) Swordsei Lore Characters with ranks in Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Local) can research Swordsei to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs. Swordsei in the Game The Swordsei class adds an option to combat expertise without a lot of the frills of other classes. Further he is able to produce very strong results in combat as his expertise increases and his weapon becomes stronger through its spiritual bond. Overall he is valuable contribution to any party that needs an additional damage dealer. Adaptation: Adapting a Swordsei to the current setting can take some time and effort mainly because they are in pursuit of perfecting their weapon skills. A wandering Swordsei has been known to turn around and travel 500 miles from where he just came from in order to seek out masters that might know knowledge that would improve their abilities. However with a little effort this can be quickly converted into helping advance the story (i.e. the master swordsman you are looking for is actually a magical creature in the back of this monster filled cave.) Category:Class